Location(s) of impact

Website

Problem: What problem is this initiative trying to address?

The problem being addressed is the low income and poor living standards of small holder farmers in the project area. Young farmers are not motivated to start farming. However, farmers grow high value spices (e.g. black pepper, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon) but they are exploited by spot market traders who pay low prices and have no long term view. They also don’t care for the community. The result is that the potential of the crops is not optimized, no extra value of the crop is created at the farms.

Solution Summary: What is the proposed solution? What do you see as its most promising aspects for creating shared value?

1) The activities from processing up to export are made visible for the farmers by bringing it close by. Processing and storage facilities have been built in a central village. The farmers feel part and feel proud about their crops.
2) The GFP director and staff are building relationships with the farmers, they are present at the processing grounds and visit the farmers. GFP supports the communities (e.g. youth football, building school toilets and installing water supply systems).
3) The farmers are contracted in an organic production management system. They receive training and farm visits. They receive significantly better prices. The training and good income is an incentive for young farmers to start farming.
4) Long term market linkages have been established with organic buyers, who are interested in the source of the produce and pay visits to the farmers. This proves to the farmers that they are valued and connected to the world, this motivates young farmer to stay and farm.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Specify both the social and the environmental impact of your work

• Social impact is that farmers feel proud. Average incomes have increased significantly: from 80 $/yr in 2007 to 1160 $/yr in 2017 (14.5 fold increase). Farmers build new houses, are able to pay school fees, etc.
• The number of farmers in the project has increased from 166 in 2006 up to 619 in 2017. The number of young farmers (up to 25 year) has increased from 2 (1.2%) in 2006 up to 150 (24.2 %) in 2017.
• Young farmers realize that farming is a business and start new farms from scratch. They farm professionally.
• Productivity has increased: In 2007 GFP purchased 8,8 tons of spices. In 2017 the quantity was 1.584.052 tons (80 times as much).
• The number of products purchased by GFP has increased, farmers can sell more crops. From four crops in 2007, there is a market for seven types of crops by now.
. Tree planting is part of spice farming, soils are protected by tree cover and contour planting.
• GFP is expanding to a new region (Morogoro).
See attachment.

Financial sustainability plan: How is this initiative financially supported? How will you ensure its financial sustainability long-term?

The long term financial sustainability is ensured by selling spices. The diversity of crops reduces the vulnerability to market and weather fluctuations.
The project has been supported as follows:
• 2006-2010, SIDA assisted USD 40,000 for development of the organic export activities.
• 2010, ADF awarded the project USD 85,403 for purchasing a spice drier, a spice grinding mill and implementing a HACCP (Food safety) system.
• 2011, Cordaid of the Netherlands supported the project EURO 43,390 for capacity building.
At present GFP receives an annually renewable loan as a trade finance from Root Capital Inc of USA.
The % of our present annual budget per source:
1. Individual donations or gifts 0%
2. Grants - 0%
3. Corporate contributions - 0%
4. Earned income - 80%
5. Other - 20%

Unique value proposition: What makes your initiative innovative? How does your project differ from other organizations working in the same field?

The innovation is bringing processing and export activities close to the farmers: The processing plant is established in the village, the community is included. Villagers feel proud about their crops and the export.
GFP differs from other traders because both the director and staff build relationships with farmers. They are regularly staying for a longer period in the processing grounds, also visitors stay overnight in the same place during their visits. Farmers feel respected.

Founding story: Share a story about the "Aha!" moment that sparked the beginning of this initiative.

By Cleopa Ayo, director of GFP Organics: I was born on the slopes of Mount Meru, Arusha, 55 years ago, where my love for forest and nature started. I studied forestry and as students we were taken on a trip around Tanzania, in which we visited the Usambara mountains. At that time I fell in love with the area. I saw for the first time in my pears and apple trees. The people were very welcoming, they allowed us to pick as many fruits as we could eat. I always remembered Usambara with its natural richness and friendly people.
20 years later - being a producer of peanut butter and jams, in cooperation with my wife - the ‘Aha’ moment occurred: I got a chance to re-start organic spice exports from Usambara. I did not need time to think, I knew the potential and wanted to help the young people move forward. So today we all pick the fruits of hard work, as we picked the pears in former days.

Where did you hear about the Nestlé Creating Shared Value Prize?

Other

Evaluation results

3 evaluations so far

1. Overall evaluation

5 - This idea rocked my world. It’s awesome! - 0%

4 - This idea seems really exciting. With a little more polishing, it’d be among my favorites. - 66.7%

3 - I think the idea is great, but it needs some work before it moves onto the next round. - 33.3%

Thank you Yussuff, We would be glad to come to Nigeria! But I think that you or other people can do this in Nigeria, for crops that are grown by your farmers. As long as the processor sets up the facilities close to the farmers, makes them feel part of the processing business. And as long as there is perseverance, because it does take time. I was thinking that perseverance might be the innovative aspect of our project, because these days people look for quick solutions, but these hardly exist to my opinion.

Thank you Festus,I hope that the inspiration might jump to the youngsters who you are training. Some of them might start doing processing too. Tell them not to give up to easily, it takes time to build up skills, it's learning by doing! Wish you good luck.

Dear Chaka Ng'ambi, thanks for your comment. Indeed we have succeeded to increase income for the farmers. This is the main motivation for young farmers to step in or to extend their farms. For nutrition, this has not been a main focus, but because of training, the farmers become better farmers and organic production always emphasizes biodiversity on the farm. So farmers also improve their food crop production, such as banana. All of the farmers grow oranges as well. But obviously the increased income is important as it enables farmers to buy more and better food.We will take on your point though, we can include nutrition in a training for women in the villages, as to help them to make good use of the extra money and feed the children with more nutritional value.

It's great that you are establishing the processing facilities in the community itself and able to employ locals. Behavior change is very difficult, particularly when working with farmers who have learned through generations and generations of the same style of farming in their families. Wishing you the best of luck!

glad to see your great idea, this give me hope because i saw their is a bright star to Tanzania farmers especially those who leave in rural areas. your doing a great job brother.wish to meet with for sharing knowledge, and experience together we can help farmers to growthanks

Thank you Imani, it has been a tough job, so compliments are for the people on the ground: The staff and director of GFPorganics who persevered to gain the trust and loyalty of the farmers. Only when there is trust an loyalty a business or organization will move forward.